Sunday, 15 June 2014

Our Snap Gap to South Korea

Our Journey to South Korea. World Map - public domain

During the first week of June, Trav and
I flew to South Korea to visit our son, James, who is working there as an
English Teacher. We flew from
Glasgow with Emirates and, having flown with this airline once before, we knew
we were in for a treat with their complimentary drinks service and excellent on
board entertainment system. As you can see from my photograph, taken as we
waited to board, the skies over Glasgow were stormy grey as we waited to begin
our seven and a half hour flight - but my mind was already on our first stop in
Dubai – where we would board the new ‘double decker’ A380 aircraft to Incheon,
South Korea.

Grey skies over Glasgow!

The
last time we were at the airport in Dubai we passed through its elaborate main terminal. This time we were in
the exclusive Emirates hub at terminal three, with all its hi-tech, high
priced, eye-popping shops, sights and extravagances.

Flying with Emirate Airlines and at the Emirates Terminal in Dubai

Eight
and a half hours after boarding our second flight we landed in South Korea and
made our way to the train station for an hour long journey to Seoul. From Seoul
we took the KTX bullet train onto our final destination. It took two and a half
hours traveling at over 300 kilometers an hour (185 miles per hour!) to get to
Daegu. When we arrived it was night (eight hours ahead of BST) and we had been traveling for so long without sleep we were exhausted. However, seeing our lovely
tall and handsome son walking towards us at the station immediately revived us.
And yes, dear reader, as you can imagine - there were lots of tears!

The KTX Bullet Train at Seoul Station

James
took us to the brightly neon-lit downtown area to our hotel where we dumped our
bags so we could go straight out to dinner. We ate traditional Korean barbeque.
At the restaurant all the tables had a brazier in the centre of the table and a
‘chimney’ above it to take away smoke and steam. Marinated uncooked meat was
brought to us to cook ourselves and this was accompanied by a kind of soup, rice,
shredded vegetables and ‘kimchi’ - the national dish comprising of chilli
spices and various fermented vegetables, usually cabbage. Kimchi is a side dish
that is reputed to be one of the healthiest foods in the world. I absolutely loved
it but drew the line at eating it for breakfast!

Daegu by night. Korean food. James and Trav in downtown Daegu.

Over
the next two days we had a fabulous time meeting all of James’s co-workers and
friends, exploring downtown, dining Korean style and drinking ‘Soju’ - a deliciously
smooth vodka-like, rice distilled drink. Another delight (and an experience exclusive to
the city of Daegu) are the ‘bag cocktails’ sold by street vendors that enable
you to sip your favourite tipple between visiting bars!

First pic - In the photo from the left - Brandon, Thomas, Sam, James, Trav and I

Second Pic: The Korean national drink 'Soju' Third Pic: Crystal and James

Trav, James and I at the Bombay Lounge Bar

Daegu by day - taken from our hotel room window

Trav and I out and about in downtown Daegu by night

Thomas, Myself and James sipping our 'bag cocktails'

The
weekend soon came around (James was working during the week but had the weekend
off) and we had planned a trip on the KTX train to Busan, a city on the coast renowned
for it’s beaches and its cultural sights. But when Saturday came, James wasn’t
feeling well. He’d had a cold the previous week, which he’d caught from one of
the children in his class. It had settled on his chest and he was feeling
rather breathless. As he is an asthmatic, this is something he treats with his
inhaler. James was doing his best not to create a fuss but we decided to do
Busan the next day and to go and see the new Tom Cruise movie ‘The Edge of
Tomorrow’ instead at the nearby 4DX cinema complex. The film was fabulous but
the 4D aspect really made it something of an experience. 4DX movie goers wear
the 3D specs but sit in moving seats and get sprayed, misted, vibrated and
poked – all in sync with the on-screen action. Popcorn not recommended!

However, when we came out of the cinema, it was obvious that
James’s asthma was getting much worse. We argued that he should go straight to
hospital. We flagged a taxi and went to the emergency hospital close by where,
thank goodness, he was immediately treated. I simply cannot praise the doctors
and nurses highly enough. Despite the language barrier, they recognised what was happening and that James was in an asthmatic state. Within seconds of
arriving they had him on oxygen, a nebuliser, several intravenous drips and a
heart monitor. I can’t tell you how relieved we were to see him slowly getting
some colour back to his face. Once stable, James managed to text his Korean speaking friend and
co-worker who could help us with
communication. He came over straight away as did James's lovely Korean
girlfriend, Crystal. James’s headmaster at the school where he works
was in contact on the phone, helping with translations and speaking with the
doctors. Everyone rallied around to help. If this experience has
taught me anything, it is that our lovely son is in good hands. He is living in
an amazing country and he not only has a fabulous lifestyle - he has the love
and support of a wonderful close network of friends. James was kept in hospital
overnight and is now on an array of medicines to help him recover from his
ordeal. To prevent his asthma ever getting out of control again, he has been
prescribed preventative medication.

The
morning afterwards, James was back in
the classroom teaching. We went with him to school to meet all his co-workers
and some of his pupils. I took these photos. Later the same day, James was told
that he had been awarded Best Teacher for the month across all
the branches of his teaching academy. James, we are so very proud of
you!

Teacher James in his classroom. Rules for the end of class. Best of Best!

During the weekend of worry about
James, I was also in a bit of distress myself with a terrible toothache. I’d had a bit of pain on and off for a while and so
had been for a dental check up before we traveled. I’d even had an x-ray to
make sure nothing unseen was going on. My dentist assured me that I merely had
a sensitive tooth. Well, that simply can’t have been the case (he is now my
ex-dentist) as I had to find an emergency dentist the day before we flew home.
At The Happy Dentist (translation) I
had full root canal treatment on a molar, the tooth cut down and the nerves
removed. If I ever need any radical dental treatment again I will certainly want
to go back to Korea to have it done. They are so friendly, fast, efficient and
professional.

At the Happy Dentist!

I
have to admit that when we finally parted with James, I was once again in tears but he was quick to remind us that he’s not the only one to
leave home for another country - which is true - as Trav and I are planning to spend the
next three months as far away from Korea as we possibly could be – in the
Caribbean!

Our
journey back to Scotland was long, tiring and uneventful. Despite an initial
delay taking off at Incheon due to a thunder storm, we managed to connect with
our flight in Dubai. Touching down in Glasgow, I put my watch back eight hours
and saw that we were being welcomed home with a dry, warm and sunny day.

Now
that we have made the journey to visit our son in South Korea, it doesn’t seem to
be as far away as it once did. Plus the fantastic communication links we now have
such as Facetime and Facebook and Instant Messaging all helps to make the world
seem a smaller place.

James and his lovely girlfriend Crystal

Once over our jetlag, Trav and I will
be packing for our next snap gap. In previous posts I’ve been teasing you by
only giving hints as to where exactly we are going. Now I’m ready to tell you
that our snap gap during July, August and September this year takes us to the very
special island of Utila.

Where is Utila you may ask…? Well, Utila is the
smaller of what is known as The Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. It is located
on the mesoamerica coral reef – reputedly the second
best coral reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. It is
a truly unique island destination and a scuba divers paradise. It is also a hub
for whale shark viewing, which as a diver, is what most appeals to Trav. It
appeals to me because it is said to be ‘the Caribbean as it used to be’.
It has a quaint central town that is said to be ‘the Key West of twenty years
ago’ and I like the sound of all that laid back unspoilt charm. You can find
out more about Utila at: http://utilaguide.com/

Trav
and I have rented a beach apartment and from there he will go out diving each
day while I write. I’m told we will have an internet connection. I currently have
three works-in-progress on the go - two full length fiction novels and a non
fiction travel guide. The first of my works-in-progress is planned for release
in November this year and is a romantic adventure novel set in the Caribbean.
Where better to be inspired than on a tiny and remote Caribbean island..?

So next time here on the blog I’ll be chatting about and sharing with you all the planning of our
next exciting snap gap adventure. I’ll be wondering what is best to pack for an extended
trip. (as Trav’s bag will no doubt be full of diving gear!) and I’ll be charting
our journey that will once again begin at Glasgow. From there we will fly to
London and then onto Miami. From Miami we will fly to San Pedro Sula in
Honduras, where we will stay overnight until we can catch a small plane over to Utila
the next day, arriving on the 4th July!

Aw, thanks JB. I'm glad we are okay too. I hate to think how things could have easily gone very wrong. Asthma is so underrated - even by asthmatics themselves - and there's a lesson learned I hope, never to ignore the warning signs.

I miss you too and I will miss you even more when it's Festival of Romance time!

Ohhh, Janice. What an adventure! It sounds wonderful. I am so glad your son is now on preventative medicine. This happened to me while I was out on a bike ride on my own it the middle of the countryside. It can be very underrated and extremely distressing. Thank goodness he had you and an efficient medical service to support him. Love your stories. Keep them coming - and huge congrats to James on is achievements. Pssst, you have got my room sorted, I take it? ;) xx

Thanks for taking us along on your adventures, Janice! It was fascinating to see your experiences, emergency and otherwise, in South Korea. What a relief to know James is in such a good place and now you can get on with your exciting plans. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Oh my goodness, I've been tied up with a new grand-daughter and only just catching up! What a roller-coaster experience and you must have been so worried about James! Can't believe you ended up at the dentists (happy or not)either! But what an experience and what a forerunner to your summer 'big adventure'! Can't wait until you are posting from your holiday isle ... lucky, lucky, you!

Rosemary - I can't believe I had root canal treatment either - it was surreal! That said, I can now enjoy a hot drink or a cold one without wincing in pain. They certainly know their stuff in S. Korea, that's for sure!

Patricia - I've been following your travels on Facebook and enjoying all your fabulous photos. You really do know how to 'snap gap' and the home exchange system works so well for you. Looking forward to all you do and where you do it next my friend!

It was a bit of a roller coaster, I must admit, but my residing thoughts are about how happy James is and what a wonderful lifestyle he has over there in S. Korea. I'm so happy having seen him, having been able to spend time with him and his new friends, and meet his lovely girlfriend. Life is good.